The Toyota CHR: A Quirky Vehicle with a Unique Personality

The Toyota CHR is a vehicle that is sure to attract buyers who are looking for a car that stands out from the crowd. Its quirky personality and unique design make it an interesting addition to the market, and this reviewer is excited to share their thoughts on this vehicle.

While some of the vehicles in its class, such as the Nissan Juke or Kia Soul, may not be particularly impressive, the CHR's attempts to be different are admirable. The reviewer notes that some cars will be remembered for years to come, but they do not expect the CHR to have the same level of lasting impact. However, this vehicle is still worth considering for those who value its unique style and design.

One of the standout features of the CHR is its ride quality. On the new architecture that it's based on, which is also used in the Prius Prime, the reviewer notes that the CHR surprises them with how well it handles and responds to inputs. It doesn't crash over every bump, and instead feels solid and stable. The interior of the car is also impressive, with soft touch materials and a finish that suggests a higher quality product.

However, not everything about the CHR is perfect. The reviewer notes that its drivability can be a bit of an issue. While it's got average everyday steering feel, its braking feel is similarly average. However, some aspects of its drivability are better than others, such as the fact that it handles well and responds quickly to inputs.

But there are also some significant issues with the CHR's drivability. The reviewer notes that visibility in the back seat can be a problem, particularly when looking out the right-hand side window. This is exacerbated by the fact that the car's design makes it necessary to rely heavily on mirrors and blind spot monitoring to stay safe.

Another issue with the CHR's design is its hatchback area. While it works well enough for most needs, it feels like a compromised space in the back and cargo area. The reviewer notes that this may be due to the fact that the car was designed as a mini CUV (crossover utility vehicle), which requires some sacrifices in terms of interior space.

Perhaps the biggest negative aspect of the CHR is its drivetrain. The combination of a four-cylinder engine and a CVT transmission is one of the worst in modern cars, according to the reviewer. This results in slow acceleration, particularly when compared to other vehicles in its class. When the reviewer tests the car's 0-60 mph time, they find that it takes an unacceptable 12 seconds or more to reach this speed.

To make matters worse, the CVT transmission is tuned in a way that makes the car feel even slower than it actually is. This can be particularly disconcerting when driving on rural roads or two-lane highways, where the CHR's lack of acceleration can put drivers at risk. The reviewer notes that they would have to plan carefully before exiting onto these types of roads.

In contrast to some other cars in its class, which may offer poor fuel economy as a trade-off for performance, the CHR offers relatively decent gas mileage. However, this is not enough to make up for the acceleration issues and slow overall drivability of the vehicle.

Overall, the Toyota CHR has its strengths, particularly when it comes to ride quality and handling. Its interior design and finish are also impressive, with soft touch materials and a high-quality feel. However, its drivetrain is a major issue, and this reviewer would caution potential buyers to carefully consider the pros and cons before making a decision.

If you're looking at the CHR, it's essential to do your homework and test drive the car for yourself. This will give you a better sense of whether or not this vehicle is right for you. While it may have some unique qualities that appeal to certain buyers, its significant issues with acceleration and drivability make it a challenging ride.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome to an extremely quick review on the Toyota CHR this is a vehicle that's going to attract the buyers of cars like the Nissan Juke or the Nissan kicks or the Kia Soul or the old Veloster it has this quirky personality that's going to attract certain types of customers and I got to say you know some of these vehicles aren't that good but I like the fact that companies are trying these weird designs and kind of quirky things I don't think anybody's gonna remember this thing like in 15 years like the Chevrolet HHR or the PT Cruiser you know it's gonna have its following but it's not breaking any new ground what it's trying to do is just be different and different it is the big thing for me is it does ride extremely well on the new architecture that they've designed much like I said with the Prius Prime it surprises you at how well it responds and handles and just responds to your inputs and it doesn't crash over every bump it feels really solid this is a great platform even the interior fitting finish is really good if there's a slow simplicity there soft touch materials there's this weird diamond stuff all over the place and even on the headliner I mean you know it does feel different it does feel a little bit higher quality in the price point suggest and I think some of this is the fact that cars have gotten better and better in this low $20,000 price range you can get a lot for your money and you have a hatchback here now there are some bad things about its drivability now you know it's got your pretty much average everyday steering feel your braking feel is about average everything about it drivability wise is average or good now the negative parts our visibility is absolutely horrible I can't stand how hard it is to see out of this especially out the back if you look into your right you almost have to exclusively rely on your mirrors and blind spot monitoring the second thing that drives me crazy about it is I don't know the hatchback area just doesn't seem all that usable I mean it's okay for the most part but it just seems like it's a compromised space in the back and in the cargo cargo area to kind of make this a hatchback to make it kind of that mini CUV or whatever you want to call this now the biggest negative really and this is almost a deal-breaker for me and I think it's gonna be a deal-breaker for a lot of people is I don't mind four cylinders and I even out mind CVTs in some cases but this combination is one of the worst in modern cars this is flat flat out 30:41 50 sixteen and I time this multiple ways this is a twelve and a half seconds here at a sixty car or twelve at best and your zero to forty five is you know somewhere in the eight second range it's very very disconcerting pulling out especially in rural areas on two-lane roads trying to get out you really have to plan for it this thing doesn't have a lot of polling power and it doesn't make a lot of sense to me given Toyota's from like twenty years ago we're quicker than this thing is I think the combination of the way the CVT is tuned with this four cylinders just does not work at all now the next negative part is you would expect okay I can deal with the slowness if you get great fuel economy and I'm barely breaking twenty nine miles per gallon which if you're gonna have something this slow I don't know honestly this is something you if you love the styling you like the interior I like the styling in interior but it's something for me that I absolutely would have to go test drive if you're looking at this make sure that you can deal with the acceleration or lack thereof you know if there's big problems of drivability like that how can you justify the price point well there's not gonna be a lot to go wrong the cost of ownership is gonna be super low with this being a Toyota is there a lot of other options out there yes there is there's no doubt about it but this does have a little bit of style to it you have the white roof this blue paint looks good I mean there's just certain things about it if you may like the style over some of the mechanical deficiencies that are here the ride quality again is great it's huge Pro the steering feel just the overall drivability is go to side from the acceleration and really the drivetrain is its biggest fault and I think that's the biggest takeaway from this take a look at it yourself see if you can decide whether this is going to be a compelling package and just do your homework that's the best thing I can tell you all right take care\n"